Lawrence: Trump's case for a GOP candidate, 'I examined his ass,' is another example of his madness

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Lawrence O'Donnell (0:58)

Facing overwhelming disapproval numbers, with two-thirds of the country disapproving of Donald Trump and 52% saying they strongly disapprove of Donald Trump, just like you, the Republican campaigner-in-chief who started the most quickly unpopular war in American history and has driven up home mortgage rates, car loan interest rates, the price of gas, the price of diesel fuel and inflation on all prices generally, has found a new angle to campaign on. In Kentucky, on Saturday, the president of the United States actually said this.

I stood right over here and I examined his ass. I examined his ass and then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline. Studying, he's got a jawline. But I then patted him on the shoulder and it was like a piece of steel. I sort of, I'm still recovering.

I know you don't believe me. You should not believe me. It shouldn't be possible that a president of the United States said that. And so here is the real video. This is not AI. This is really the current president of the United States.

Donald Trump (2:36)

I stood right over here and I examined his ass. I examined his ass and then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline.

He's got a jawline, but I then patted him on the shoulder and it was like a piece of steel. I'm still recovering.

Lawrence O'Donnell (3:00)

You can imagine what would have happened in this world, in this news media, if in praising a candidate, Joe Biden said it was because, quote, I examined his ass. Imagine if Kamala Harris said that. Imagine if Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George Washington and anyone in between in the history of American politics, who you can think of, said that. And yes, imagine if a gay man said that.

Imagine if Pete Buttigieg or Treasury Secretary Scott Besson, in praising a candidate, in this actual case, a United States senator said the reason for his praise was, quote, I examined his ass. This is madness. This is utter insanity. Yes, it's silly. And yes, it's easy to joke about and it will be joked about forever. But it is also presidential madness. The man is president of the United States. He does not seem to know that at times. And so this is yet another marker of the cognitive decline of Donald Trump. Let the vice president in the cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment and remove the powers of the presidency from Donald Trump. And then, as the 25th Amendment allows, let Donald Trump appeal to Congress to make his case about why JD. Vance should not become the acting president. Let Donald Trump explain that I examined his ass was a perfectly normal thing to say and a valid reason for endorsing a senator for reelection because that's what he was doing with his examination of that senator's ass. And Donald Trump might convincingly testify to Congress, that was just a joke. It's just me having fun.

But while he's defending himself on that, members of Congress could ask Donald Trump about all of his other demonstrations and proofs that he is unfit for office, mentally unfit, morally unfit, ethically unfit, including his latest attempt to support Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine, financially by helping Vladimir Putin sell diesel fuel to get much needed revenue, to continue to fund Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, where he can kill children in Ukraine, and for Vladimir Putin to continue to assist Iran in fighting against Donald Trump's war, which means Donald Trump is helping Vladimir Putin help in Iran, in Iran's war with the United States.